Anomalous lightning activity over the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo due to urban effects

Farias, W.R.G.; Pinto, O.; Naccarato, Kleber P.; Pinto, I. R. C. A.

doi:10.1016/j.atmosres.2008.06.009

Cited by 61 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Figure 6 presents the correlation between the AOD and lightning flash density for JJAS. The results show that the lightning flash density was positively correlated with the AOD (R = 0.84 for June, R = 0.91 for July, R = 0.94 for August and R = 0.9 for September), which is in accordance with some earlier studies [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]. The dependence of the electrical activity and AOD displays a positive correlation, which suggests that the enhanced aerosol loading is one of the important reasons for the increase in lightning activity.…”

Section: Relationship Between Lightning Flash Density and Aodsupporting

confidence: 80%

Total Lightning Flash Activity Response to Aerosol over China Area

et al. 2017

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Twelve years of measurements of aerosol optical depth (AOD), cloud fraction, cloud top height, ice cloud optical thickness and lightning flash density from 2001 to 2012 have been analyzed to investigate the effect of aerosols on electrical activity over an area of China. The results show that increasing aerosol loading inspires the convective intensity, and then increases the lightning flash density. The spatial distribution of the correlation between aerosol loading and electrical activity shows a remarkable regional difference over China. The high-correlation regions embody the positive aerosol microphysical effect on the intensity of the electrical activity, while the large-scale processes may play the main role in convection development and producing lightning in low-correlation regions.

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Section: Relationship Between Lightning Flash Density and Aodsupporting

confidence: 80%

Total Lightning Flash Activity Response to Aerosol over China Area

et al. 2017

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“…A significant enhancement in the number of negative CG (ÀCG) lightning and a decrease in the percentage of positive CG (+CG) flashes were found over the city of São Paulo [Farias et al, 2009]. Small urban areas also can enhance CG lightning [Soriano and de Pablo, 2002].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Physical and observable characteristics of cloud‐to‐ground lightning over the Pearl River Delta region of South China

et al. 2014

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Cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning characteristic parameters deduced from the lightning location system (LLS) for five differing microenvironmental areas relative to megacity, city, municipal town, hilly suburban area, and mountainous rural area conditions were examined in our 2009-2011 Pearl River Delta (PRD) study. Our LLS data analysis showed that there were high variation of lightning characteristics and phenomenal changes among these areas. As a supplement to the usual study of physical characteristics, an observation-based methodology had been developed to study the lightning behavior, while the respective thunderstorms were traversing through these observation areas. Special features and phenomenal changes related to the lightning characteristic parameters, such as observable lightning stroke days (OLSDs) and observable lightning stroke frequency and density for an OLSD, were also addressed. Microenvironmental variation due to change in topography, degree of urbanization, urban effect, and thunderstorm strength was found to affect the spatial distribution of lightning stroke and the severity of lightning activities over the observation areas. This approach increases our understanding of lightning in subtropical China. It also tells us more about the behavior of lightning while the thunderstorm traverses through an observation area. This information is lacking in previous studies.

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“…Urbanization-triggered changes in precipitation and hydrological processes also got the attention of research studies (Dettwiller and Changon, 1976;Shepherd et al, 2002;Rozoff et al, 2003). There is evidence that the urban environment with its higher air pollution is responsible for enhanced lightning (Farias et al, 2009;Coquillat et al, 2013). Schaldach and Alcamo (2007) showed significant influence on the carbon balance as well and, finally, the urban-meteorology interaction may significantly influence air quality (Rigby and Toumi, 2008;Ryu et al, 2013a, b).…”

Section: Published By Copernicus Publications On Behalf Of the Europementioning

confidence: 99%

Regional climate model assessment of the urban land-surface forcing over central Europe

et al. 2014

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Abstract. For the purpose of qualifying and quantifying the climate impact of cities and urban surfaces in general on climate of central Europe, the surface parameterization in regional climate model RegCM4 has been extended with the Single-layer Urban Canopy Model (SLUCM). A set of experiments was performed over the period of 2005-2009 for central Europe, either without considering urban surfaces or with the SLUCM treatment. Results show a statistically significant impact of urbanized surfaces on temperature (up to 1.5 K increase in summer) as well as on the boundary layer height (increases up to 50 m). Urbanization further influences surface wind with a winter decrease up to −0.6 m s −1 , though both increases and decreases were detected in summer depending on the location relative to the cities and daytime (changes up to 0.3 m s −1 ). Urban surfaces significantly reduce the humidity over the surface. This impacts the simulated summer precipitation rate, showing a decrease over cities of up to −2 mm day −1 . Significant temperature increases are simulated over higher altitudes as well, not only within the urban canopy layer. With the urban parameterization, the climate model better describes the diurnal temperature variation, reducing the cold afternoon and evening bias of RegCM4.Sensitivity experiments were carried out to quantify the response of the meteorological conditions to changes in the parameters specific to the urban environment, such as street width, building height, albedo of the roofs and anthropogenic heat release. The results proved to be rather robust and the choice of the key SLUCM parameters impacts them only slightly (mainly temperature, boundary layer height and wind velocity).Statistically significant impacts are modelled not only over large urbanized areas, but the influence of the cities is also evident over rural areas without major urban surfaces. It is shown that this is the result of the combined effect of the distant influence of the cities and the influence of the minor local urban surface coverage.

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Anomalous lightning activity over the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo due to urban effects

Cited by 61 publications

References 13 publications

Total Lightning Flash Activity Response to Aerosol over China Area

Total Lightning Flash Activity Response to Aerosol over China Area

Physical and observable characteristics of cloud‐to‐ground lightning over the Pearl River Delta region of South China

Regional climate model assessment of the urban land-surface forcing over central Europe

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